The Band
by Carmine'sBodyCollector
Summary: The school is holding a talent show and Kisa has suggested that the whole family  including Tohru  perform as a band. See their trials as they try to get this show on the road. Collaboration story. P.S. I own nothing
1. A What?

I do not own Fruits Basket or any of the characters. I make no money of off this so please don't eat me. Reviews are helpful.

"Morning, Yuki!" Tohru greeted the grey haired rat as he wandered into the kitchen, still rubbing his eyes tiredly. He sat down at the table and put his head down, not noticing the small piece of paper that crumpled under his arms. Tohru quickly finished making breakfast and set a plate in front of him. As Yuki lifted his head, he finally noticed the paper he had inadvertently been using as a pillow.

"Is this yours, Miss Honda?" he asked, holding up the orange piece of paper. On the sheet were the words "Talent Show Sign Up Three Weeks From Friday."

"Oh yes. Thank you, Yuki. I was wondering where I left that." Tohru sat across from Yuki, taking the paper from the rat's hand.

"Good morning, children!" Shigure sang as he sat down at the table, "What's that?" He looked over Tohru's shoulder at the orange paper, "are you planning on performing?"

"Who's performing?" Kyo asked, sitting across from Shigure. He yawned and immediately started shoveling the bacon on his plat into his mouth.

"Tohru's going to be in a talent show!" Shigure cheered while the girl in question turned a very healthy shade of red.

"Really?" Kyo asked.

"N-no," Tohru said, "Kisa wants to perform and then Haru suggested a band and then Kisa asked me to be the lead singer."

"I'll do bass!" Shigure sang happily.

"Uh-sorry, Shigure," Tohru said, "Kisa already asked Hiro to do it." The look of utter disappointment on Shigure's face would have made a Los Angeles gangster cry.

"Then I'll do back up." He said after a few minutes. Tohru nodded excitedly.

"And Kyo could play drums!" Shigure added. The cat immediately stood, shouting.

"Hell no!" he screamed.

"Please, Kyo," Tohru said, "We need a drummer to keep the beat." Kyo grunted, but sat down again, "Alright fine."


	2. Cow, Rabbit, Friends and a Dragon

Chapter 2 is here. Sorry about the shortness. Once again: I own nothing.

"Hey, Tohru," Uo greeted as Tohru sat down for lunch, "what's up?" Hana nodded her head toward the brunette as a greeting and slowly unwrapped her lunch.

"Uo, Hana," Tohru said, "Did you hear about the talent show coming up?"

"Yea I heard about it," Uo said, "Why?"

"Kisa asked me to perform in a band with her as an act and I was wondering if you two would join."

"I would love to, Tohru," Hana said sadly, "but I don't play any instruments and my singing is rather bad."

"That's Ok," Tohru answered, "We need all the help we can get, not just vocals and music."

"I could do security," Uo said, "anyone gets too close and their ass is mine! And Hana, you're great with tech and all that stuff so you could do lighting and sound!" Hana nodded slowly as Tohru thanked them both over and over again.

"Tohru's making band?" The three girls turned to see Momiji and Hatsuharu making their way to the table. Momiji bounded up to Tohru leaning across the table to stare directly at her.

"Is it true?" he asked excitedly. Tohru nodded.

"Can you play an instrument?" She asked the bouncing rabbit boy. Momiji shook his head.

"No but I can sing. I can do back up! And Haru can play guitar." All three girls immediately stared at Haru, who rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Yes, I play." He said, answering the question written across their faces.

"Then," Tohru began," would you join us?" Haru sighed, stared out the window for a moment, then nodded once.

AT THE MAIN HOUSE

"Guess what, Ha'ri!" Momiji yelled, running into the doctor's office. Hatori looked up from his patient charts to fix his gaze on the rabbit.

"I'm busy, Momiji," he said quietly, "What is it?"

"Kisa and Tohru are making a band for the talent show!" the rabbit yelled excitedly.

"Yes, I'm well aware of this. Kisa asked if I would be manager, however, as I said, I'm busy. Sorry." Momiji opened his mouth to protest but was cut off by a loud crash as the door to Hatori's office was thrown open.

"A Band?" Ayame yelled, "Dear Tohru is in a band and no one to old me. I feel so left out. How could they forget the amazing me?" Hatori put his head in his hands, an exasperated sigh escaping his mouth.

"Why are you here, Ayame?" the dragon asked, massaging his temples in annoyance.

"How could you not have told me?" Aya continued, soundly ignoring Hatori's question.

"I know. I'll design the costumes! Oh this is going to be so much fun! Momiji, who else is participating?"

"Umm me, Tohru, Kisa, Shigure, Kyo, and Haru are in the band and Tohru's friends Uo and Hana are doing security and tech." Momiji answered, sweat dropping down his neck from the intense stare Aya directed at him.

"Kyo is in a band!" Kagura yelled, running into Hatori's office. The doctor sighed. How had all this noise ended up here?

"I will protect my precious Kyo from all who would steal him away!" With that she ran back out and from his place by the window, Hatori saw her speeding in the direction of Shigure's house.

"Well I'm off to begin some lovely costumes!" Aya all but sang as he sauntered away. That snapped Hatori out of his daze.

"Momiji," he said, "Tell Kisa I'll do it, just to keep that…person from doing something inappropriate for the age of these children."


	3. What are we going to sing?

One week later the band stood inside the largest room of Shigure's house, tuning instruments and warming up their voices. Sadly, the room was still incredibly small with so many people init. Uo had suggested that they go to the Sohma estate because she had heard it was bigger. However, that would have involved a conversation with Akito no one wanted to have so the idea was quickly thrown out.

"Alright, you maggots!" Uo yelled, instantly quieting the room, "let's get started so give your full attention to Tohru and Kisa." She moved aside to allow the two younger girls to speak.

"Weill, um, I guess first we should decide what type of music we want to play. Kisa, this was your idea, do you know?"

"What kind of music do you like, Sissy?" the young girl asked softly.

"These children have no idea what they want to play." Hatori signed. He was leaning against the back wall next to Shigure who just stood, humming contentedly. The doctor was pulled out of his pessimistic thoughts by a sudden rise in the room's volume. Kyo and Uo were arguing for the fifth time in the last hour. With a sigh and many thoughts centering on the question "why me?" Hatori pushed himself off the wall and made his way between the fighting teens.

"That's enough," he said calmly, "if you want to be ready for the performance, you're going to have to stop arguing. I believe the young lady is right, you must decide what to play."

Kyo and Uo stared at Hatori for a moment, then at each other, and then back at the doctor. With a shared "humph" they walked to opposite sides of the room, arms crossed and noses in the air.

"The floor is yours, Tohru." The doctor sighed, going back to his previous place against the wall. Kisa looked pleadingly at Tohru who nervously began ranting for about a minute.

"Calm down, Miss Honda," Yuki said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, "you're doing fine." Tohru took a long, slow, deep breath then continued.

"Well, um," she said, "what kind of music do you guys like?" the room was silent for a few minutes until Hana spoke.

"I think it would be wise," she said softly, "to see what you and Kisa are able to sing and find a style the fits."

"I like rock!" Kyo yelled instantly, earning several looks of exasperation from the rest of the group.

"Kyo," Haru said, "I don't think Kisa could sing something like Highway to Hell."

"What?" Kisa asked softly, "highway to where?" Yuki sighed.

"Let's start with something simple." He said, "Kisa, can you sing the happy birthday song so we know how you sound. Kyo will not say a word until you finish." He cast a meaningful look at Kyo who glared back indignantly.

"Happy birthday to you…" Kisa began slowly. When she finished, she stared out at her audience, waiting for some kind of feedback.

"I am NOT playing to THAT!" Kyo yelled, violently breaking the silence.

"You wouldn't have to, stupid cat," Yuki said, sounding very annoyed, "that was just a sample."

But she'll sing something similar" Shigure sang happily. Yuki sighed.

"You're not helping, Shigure," he said simply. Hatori nodded and again wondered what had possessed him to agree to help these children.

"Tohru," Momiji said, "What can you sing?" Tohru blushed a deep crimson, looking down at her hands.

"I-I don't know." She said sadly. Suddenly, Hatsuharu stood and moved to the door.

"I know of one band." He said, "Let me get the CD. I'll be right back." With that he left, leaving an awkward silence in his wake. After about a minute he returned carrying a CD player and disk. He set the player down and handed the dist case to Tohru.

"Paramore?" she asked, confused, "I've never heard of them." Haru finished setting up the player and turned to face the rest of the room.

"I guessed you hadn't," he said flatly, "that's why I brought this." Everyone crowded around the player as he pushed the "play" button. Immediately, the song "That's What You Get" blasted through the speakers. Three and a half minutes later, the song ended and the room was silent. Absolutely silent.

"Well?" Haru asked as the silence continued.

"I like it," Uo said, "but do you think you can do it, Tohru?" The girl in question thought for a moment then started to sing.

"Hey make your way to me, to me an I'll always be just so, so inviting." She finished off the bridge and looked to the others for comments.

"Our Tohru sounds so wonderful!" Shigure said happily. Tohru blushed and looked at Kisa who nodded vigorously in approval.

"Then it's settled," Uo said, "we're doing alt. rock!"

"Do you think you can play to that, Kyo?" Yuki asked sarcastically. The cat growled but nodded.

"OK," Shigure sang, "let's get to work."


	4. A New Song and Costumes

"Hey, Haru," Momiji said, walking over to Hatsuharu the next day. The rabbit sat next to him on the log he was sitting on, "What are you doing?"

"I was writing," Haru answered, turning back to the pad of paper in his hand.

"Really?"

"Yes. Kisa and Tohru stopped me as I was leaving rehearsal yesterday and asked me to try to write an original song." Momiji nodded.

"What have you got so far?" he asked. Haru handed the paper to his cousin. Momiji scanned it, humming softly along with the tune Haru had written.

"I like it," Momiji said finally, "It sounds kind of like the song you played yesterday."

"That was the idea," Haru said, "The consensus was alt. rock so I was trying to keep it in a Paramore-eque style. We want Tohru and Kisa to be able to hit the notes, right?"

"Right!" Momiji said, handing the paper back, "You keep working. I'll see you later!" Haru sighed and went back to his song.

Three days later the group was back in Shigure's house, minus Hatori who'd had to stay at the main house because Akito was doing much worse and the doctor needed to monitor his patient's condition. When he'd called Shigure to tell him the only advice Hatori gave was "be productive."

Haru had finished writing and was leaning against the wall as the other band members read his work. Once they were done, Yuki turned to Haru and nodded.

"I like it," he said, "Anyone else?"

"I don't," Kyo snapped, "What's with the girly lyrics? I can't drum to that!"

"It has to be something Tohru and Kisa could and would sing. They are girls, therefore girl song," Haru answered, "What do you think, girls?"

"The song is good, Haru," Tohru said. Kisa nodded.

"Good," Uo said, "Now that that's settled. Let's get pract-" Just then the screen door blasted to pieces.

"My poor house…" Shigure mumbled sadly as a voice rang through the room.

"You can't practice without these~!" it sang. As the dust settled, Yuki signed.

"What are you doing here, Ayame?" He askd.

"Oh hello, Yuki," Ayame said, pulling in a rack of clothes behind him," I'm here with the costumes. You can't have a proper band without proper stage attire." The snake proceeded to drag Tohru into the adjacent room, tossing in a mass of fabric in behind her. Kisa ran after Tohru and was soon shoved inside as well, with her oven fabric right behind her.

"Now for the rest of you!" Aya sang as he walked around the room, handing outfits to each of the band members. Shigure was absolutely giddy but her was the only one.

"I'm not wearing this crap!" Kyo yelled, throwing the outfit down in disgust. Aya looked heartbroken. Yuki walked over and picked up the outfit Kyo had rejected. It looked very motorcycle gang with a large bandanna.

"Why don't you just wear this?" Yuki asked, holding up the bandanna. Kyo grunted but took the square of fabric and tied it around his head. He and Yuki stared at each other for a few seconds until the bandanna slid down over the cat's eyes. With a frustrated grunt, Kyo moved the bandanna back up, only to have it slide down again.

"Screw this!" he yelled and threw the fabric to the ground. Aya was about to protest when the door to Tohru's impromptu changing room. Slowly, Tohru stepped out, followed closely by Kisa.

"W-what do you think?" Kisa asked, stepping out from behind Tohru. She wore a sweet white frilly dress that fell to her knees with a light blue sash tied around her waist.

"The words 'absolutely adorable' come to mind." Shigure said happily, but his words went unnoticed because the remainder of the male population (except Hiro whose eyes were glued to Kisa) was staring wide-eyed at Tohru.

"Do I really look that bad?" she asked, immediately holding her arms up to cover herself, a task the clothes were barely accomplishing. An extremely short skirt, white low cut belly shirt, and spiked collar were all that adorned her body. Suddenly there was a short click as Shigure snapped a picture.

"You look wonderful, Tohru," he said, "In fact, I'm going to send this to Hatori." A few seconds later, Shigure's phone rang. He flipped it open to speaker mode and answered.

"Hey, Ha'ri," he chimed, "Be civil. You're on speaker."

"AYAME!" the phone yelled, "What is wrong with you?" There is absolutely no way that Tohru is wearing that in PUBLIC! Tohru go change into decent clothes."

"Aww… Hatori," the snake whined, "But it looks so cute and the boys seem happy."

"That's the exact problem!" Hatori snapped.

"By the way," Aya said, "I have stuff for you and Shigure. I though you were joining this little group. Where are you?"

"I'm at the main house. Akito is doing significantly worse so I had to miss this rehearsal." Silence dominated following Hatori's words; the temperature seeming to drop by at least ten degrees at the mention of the head of the family. Suddenly, Aya spoke again.

"Then I shall find you as soon as we're done. You simply must see my work." The phone sighed and with a curt "no, Ayame" promptly shut off. The rest of the costuming session was rather uneventful. Yuki received a pink Victorian style dress that he threw to the ground shouting, "you wear it!" at his brother. Momiji was given a similar look except he immediately accepted and went off to change. Haru's outfit had more color in it than the boy's entire closet combined and he rejected it outright, saying he would wear his own clothes. He even offered his old attire to Hiro who had also rejected Aya's design. After seeing the outfits, Uo quickly decided to wear her Red Butterfly trench coat and offered to make a similar on for Kagura except with an orange cat on the back. Hana decided to wear all black, as she would be in the sound booth. Lastly, Aya pulled out three near matching outfits, one for each of the "three musketeers." Shigure immediately cheered, holding his grey-green jumpsuit up for all the room to see.

"So beautiful!" he sang. Aya hugged him and pulled out his won lavender outfit. The two quickly changed and when they returned, the children groaned. After that display, every one changed back into their everyday clothes

"I'm off to find Hatori!" Ayame sand as he walked out the door and the practice continued.


	5. The Snake, the Doc, and a Piano

"Hatori!" Ayame yelled as he sauntered into the doctor's office, "Do I have an outfit for you!" Hatori sighed; every time Aya was around, he got a headache.

"I told you not to come here," he said, "You're loud and obnoxious, two traits that are not good in this house."

"Oh come on, Hatori," Aya whined, "just see what I've got, then I'll leave." The doctor groaned but nodded, he knew the snake would not leave until he was adamant about his work and would not go away until he was placated. Ayame's face lit up and he instantly produced Hatori's dark blue and white outfit.

"No," Hatori said as soon as he way it, "I will not wear that."

"But-"

"I said 'no,' Ayame, now please go."

"But-"

"HATORI!" Akito's voice boomed through the estate. The doctor rubbed his temples; this was not his day. He stood, picked up his medical bag, and walked out of his office.

"I'm not going to wear that, Ayame, Go home." With that, Hatori walked off, leaving a rather disappointed Aya in his wake.

"Really, Ha'ri?" Shigure asked three days later. The band members once again stood in the dog's house, practicing, "But Aya worked so hard and we're going to match!" Hatori groaned; this was not going to end until he agreed.

"Alright, fine." He sighed, "I'll wear the damned thing!" As soon as the words left his mouth, Hatori found himself in a one-crushing hug courtesy of a very happy Ayame.

"Oh thank you, thank you, Hatori!" the snake yelled, "You won't regret it."

Hatori rolled his eyes, he already did. A few minutes later, the children were ready to begin, the only difference being that Momiji now stood behind a keyboard. Haru stood next to him, pointing out different notes and their corresponding keys. The general consensus had been that they needed a keyboardist but it was too late to find another member so Momiji had been drafted and spend the last few days with Haru, learning the music.

"O.K. everyone," Uo said, immediately quieting the room, "We need to get going. Momiji let's take it from the top. Tohru, Kisa, you two sing along then we can add everyone else. Now one, two, one two three four!"

Momiji's fingers hit the keys as the two girls began to sing. Uo waved her hands like a conductor while HIro and Haru mimed the chords that they would need to play. The room filled with music, good music, but suddenly Hatori stood and called cut.

"What's wrong, Ha'ri?" Momiji asked, worried that he had somehow messed up.

"Nothing," Hatori answered, "You were doing just fine. However you children should practice all together instead of in pieces. That way we can adjust as necessary. So start form the beginning and this time let's have everyone play." The band members nodded and patiently waited for Haru and Hiro to hook up their amplifiers. Once they finished, Uo called for attention again and soon Kyo's drumbeat pounded through the house. Hiro was next to join in, followed by Haru, Momiji, an finally Tohru and Kisa. The first verse came and went with no problems as did the chorus (featuring Shigure's back up). Soon the song was over and the band looked to Yuki, Ayame, Uo, and Hana for feedback. The four nodded and the practice continued.

Two days later, they were back for practice. Momiji had, by then, gotten the keyboard part down and Hatori had once again escaped the main house. Aya was nowhere to be found for the first hour and a half, but, much to Yuki's annoyance, he crashed in along with a rack of new clothes. He quickly shoved Tohru into the adjacent room. With she came out, she was dressed in what looked like a parka. The boys stared in shock at her, then at Aya, and then back.

"What is that?" Yuki asked, pointing at the girl across the room.

"Well, you said the last outfit was to scandalous," Aya countered, "So I made this."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, Ayame," Hatori said, "But that's a bit to conservative." Aya humphed but finally decided to just keep going with his miniature fashion show. The next person to be dressed was Kyo who was given a Mexican poncho and hat. Both were subsequently thrown across the room much to the snake's disappointment. Yuki received a pirate shirt, vest, and pants. He accepted the shirt and vest but decided to use a pair of his own pants. As he left, Aya promised to try again for Tohru whose cheeks turned cherry red at the prospect of trying on more clothing. The rest of the practice went smoothly until Momiji's fingers slipped keys and he ended up an octave lower than everyone else.

"Sorry," he said, "These keys are so strange. Why couldn't they be more like piano keys? I can play piano."

"What?" Kyo yelled, "Why didn't you mention you could play piano before?" Keyboard and piano are the same thing, idiot!" Momiji stared at Kyo for a second, then smiled, "Really?"

"Yes," Haru sighed, "Does that make it easier?" The rabbit nodded, readjusted his fingers and the song continued.


	6. Last Practice

Thanks to those who reviewed!

To Skyerider: You'll see and thanks so much for being my first review ever! I will love you forever!

I own nothing

The last practice of the week fell on that Friday, one week before the performance. Much to the annoyance of all but Tohru and Shigure, Aya returned with another outfit for Tohru to try on. This time she came out in a hoop skirt and Elizabethan style collar. Hatori put his head in his hands and sighed. However, Yuki was the one to voice the group's thoughts. Aya pouted slightly, then turned to Tohru.

"What do you like, Tohru?" he asked, "Because obviously my taste is not welcome here."

"Umm…" she said, "I like Katy Perry's style." Aya hummed for a moment then his face lit up.

"I'll be back at the next rehearsal!" he sang as he left, already mentally sketching new designs for Tohru.

"Never a dull moment eh, Ha'ri?" Shigure giggled, elbowing his friend in the ribs lightly. The doctor groaned and went back to listening to the children practice.

On the Monday before the show, the band was furiously rehearsing in Shigure's house. After they finished, Aya once again returned with a new outfit for Tohru. This time she was put in a low cut tea party-like dress. That earned a small amount of approval, except for the top.

"Keep the skirt, Ayame," Hatori said, "But change the top. It's to low for this girl." Aya very maturely stuck his tongue out but left. As Hatori, Momiji, and Haru left, Tohru ran after them.

"Do you know if anyone is coming to the show?" she asked. The three Sohmas thought for a moment.

"I think Ritsu is coming," Haru said, "And his parents."

"Yea!" Momiji chimed in, "And my father said he would try to come!"

"Is Akito coming?" Tohru asked, turning to Hatori. The doctor's eyes widened slightly at the question.

"Why would you care if that bastard comes?" Kyo yelled from the roof behind them.

"I-I-I don't know," Tohru answered, blushing, "I was just thinking he might be able to get out of the house or he might like it or…" she trailed off, staring at her hands nervously.

"I'll ask him, Tohru," Hatori said, "But I wouldn't expect anything." The doctor twitched mentally at the prospect of spending any more time with the head of the family than he had to, even if it was just to ask a simple question. Akito was so unpredictable and violent that even the question of whether or not he wanted to attend the talent show could result in Hatori being blind in both eyes.

"Thank you, Hatori," Tohru said, bowing, "See you all on Thursday for dress rehearsal."

Aya returned on Thursday with his final attempt at a costume for Tohru. The change from the previous day wasn't particularly drastic; he'd just changed that top to a strap-less. Designed that looked like rice balls covered the entire dress.

"This is perfect!" Tohru said happily. All of the band members now had their costumes and they began their dress rehearsal. Hana stood in the sound booth at the back of the auditorium, adjusting the microphones and amplifiers so the feedback wouldn't hurt the ears of the audience. The rest of the band stood on the auditorium stage, ready to begin.

"O.K.!" Kyo yelled, banging his drumsticks together, "One, two, one two three four!" He slammed down on the drums, Haru and Hiro quickly joining in after. Momiji's keyboard roared to life and soon Tohru and Kisa were singing. As the song continued, Shigure joined in and the song finished with a perfect cut-off ending, the children posing grandly. Hatori, Uo, and Kagura applauded enthusiastically. Suddenly, Kyo was tackled by a very happy Kagura, who hugged him so tightly that he started to turn blue. Haru eventually pulled Kagura off the suffocating cat, much to the joy of Kyo's burning lungs.

"That was wonderful," Hatori said," I think you kids are ready for the show tomorrow." Uo nodded excitedly, jumping up.

"You guys are going to kick ass!" she yelled, making Tohru and Kisa blush furiously, "Weren't they great, Hana?" Uo called. They all looked to the sound booth to see Hana giving them all a happy thumbs-up.

"Um-can, can we go one more time?" Kisa asked. Hatori looked at his watch; they still had some time before the next group came to practice.

"I don't see why not," he said, "Any objections?" None could be heard so they prepared for a second run-through. Once they finished, it was time for htem to pack up and leave. As they walked out of the auditorium, Momiji turned to Tohru.

"My dad said he was defiantly going to come tomorrow!" the rabbit said excitedly.

"Great!" Tohru said. Suddenly remembering her query from the last practice, Tohru turned to Hatori.

"Akito's coming." He said, flatly. Everyone froze.

"What?" Kyo yelled, rounding on Hatori. The doctor nodded slowly as the cat continued to yell along with Hiro. Momiji and Kisa remained silent, staring at nothing. Shigure looked at Hatori with a mixture of shock and sadness. Both adults soon looked to Yuki whose eyes were wide and whose body trembled with fear at the prospect of being in the same room with Akito.

"Yuki…" Shigure whispered. Slowly, the band calmed and left although slightly less excited about the show tomorrow. Once they were gone, Uo turned to Hana.

"Who's Akito?" she asked. Hana shrugged.

"Their electrical signals panicked when Hatori mentioned his so I'm assuming he's rather scary."

"Oh," Uo replied, "And they were all so happy ten minutes ago."


	7. It's show time!

Once again, thanks to all who reviewed!

To OrangeKyo: I'm glad I got his character right! I was a bit worried that I was overdoing it.

To Skyerider: Yes Akito is coming and I hope you like what happens…

P.S. I don't know if I mentioned this before but this story is a collaboration with a friend of mine who gave me ideas and also convinced me to post this so say thank you.

I own nothing.

On the day of the show, the school auditorium was packed. Tohru peeked out nervously from behind the curtain. Rows and rows of faces stared back at her. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder that nearly made her jump.

"Calm down, Miss Honda," Yuki said from behind her. Tohru smiled at him, still trembling nervously. Slowly, she took a deep breath in and out.

"Thanks, Yuki," she said, "I'm just a little nervous. There are so many people out there. I see Ritsu and his parents, and Momiji's dad and…" Tohru looked out again, then turned back to Yuki who looked terrified by what the thought she was going to say.

"Actually," Tohru said, "I don't see Akito, maybe he couldn't come." Yuki seemed to relax slightly at the news. A few minutes later, the act on stage finished and the children (plus Shigure) walked out and began to set up their instruments. Hana quickly made her way to the sound booth and made sure everything was set for the performance. Once everything was ready, they began to play.

"One, two, one two three four!" Kyo yelled, slamming his drumsticks down. Hiro and Haru soon joined in along with Momiji. As the intro came to a close, Kisa and Tohru began to sing. The first and second verses went by without a problem, but as they entered the bridge, an obnoxious scream could be heard from the left side of the audience.

"Damn! You guys suck!" yelled a male voice, "Get off the stage. That sissy music has no place here." The band stopped as more and more people joined in until a clump of about twenty boys was screaming. The rest of the audience was silent, stunned by the cruelty of the hecklers. Suddenly, their attention turned to Hatsuharu.

"You're the worst," one yelled, "degrading the grace of that instrument by playing with those wimps!" Haru looked from the boy to Tohru and Kisa and back again. As the shouts continued, the girls began to cry and Haru could feel himself getting angrier and angrier.

"That's enough, bastards!" Black Haru yelled, "What the fuck is wrong with you assholes?" Like hell this is degrading! You want to see some damn good playing, you mother-fuckers got it!" Suddenly his fingers flew down the neck of his guitar. Screams and a combination of notes and quick changes that made John 5's Soul of a Robot look like amateur nonsense rang through the room (A/N: if you don't know the song, look it up). The crowd sat stunned as the rest of the band stared wide-eyed at their guitarist.

"Suck that, bitches!" Black Haru side, smirking, "Now let these girls finish or get your worthless asses out." The hecklers slowly sat down in stunned silence. Haru nodded and, with a big smile, turned to the rest of the band.

"Shall we continue?" he asked. They nodded and the song finished without any other problems and immediately received a standing ovation.

"Encore! Encore!" the crowd shouted. Tohru and Kisa looked to the rest of the band for help.

"How about that song Haru showed us?" Momiji asked, "The one by Paremore." They nodded.

"Alright let's go!" Kyo yelled, once again slamming his drumsticks down.

At the end of the show, the school principal came out with a large bowl full of ticket stubs.

"And now for the raffle!" he said excitedly, "I hope you held onto your tickets." With that he reached into the bowl and, as he dug for a ticket, a snare drum roared to life, adding to eh marginal suspense.

"37821!" the principal yelled, "Number 37821 come on down!" The students back stage peeked out from the side to see who had won or in the case of Kyo, glare because he hadn't. Sadly, his anger only escalated when he saw who had.

"You have got to be kidding!" The rest of the band quickly turned to see Akito slowly walking up to the principal, a small pink ticket in his sand. Once, he stood next to him, Akito handed over his ticket, staring at the man.

"Con-gulp-congratulations," the principal said, suddenly feeling very scared of the thin young man staring at him with black eyes that looked like pools of malice and psychopathic, bitter hatred, "You have won a fruit basket!"

"Oh darn," Akito said smiling, "I was hoping for some kind of bladed weapon." A few members of the audience laughed at what they assumed (or hoped) was a joke. As a student walked up the steps to the stage with the basket, the principal turned to Akito.

"So…what did you think of the childrens' acts?" Akito's eyes rolled over the audience and back to the stage, finally resting on Yuki who was standing on the side of the stage, behind the curtain. Akito smirked.

"The re-enactment of the Saw movies was wonderful," he said, "However, the rest of the show was two hours of my life I'll never get back. Especially the last act," Akito said, eyes gazing pointedly at Yuki, "my family has been disgraced by that raucous noise in ways you can't even imagine." Akito glared at the band members, challenging them to attack him, to contradict him.

Sadly, Kyo was more than ready to accept and, before anyone could stop him, ran onto the stage Akito smirked and held out his fist, hoping the cat would run into it. Luckily for Kyo, he noticed and was able to stop just before the force would have broken his nose. Suddenly, Momiji, who had run onto the stage after Kyo, slammed into him from behind, causing him to crash into Akito's fist. Both the cat and the rabbit tumbled to the ground as Haru arrived to break up the ensuing fight between Kyo and Momiji. He glared at Akito who simple smirked back. Just then Hiro ran on stage too in an attempt to help Haru stop the fighting. Tohru was the last to run over, concern evident in her eyes as she looked from the fight to the now glaring Akito and back again.

Yuki and Kisa stood on the side of stage, concerned for the safety the others but to afraid of Akito to go any closer. Haru and Hiro soon had the fight broken up, Haru holding Kyo while Hiro tried to get Momiji to stop whining. Tohru tried to comfort Momiji without touching him lest he transform. She glanced at Akito who was laughing quietly, chuckling to himself at the physical and emotional pain he had caused. With one final malicious smirk directed squarely at Yuki who trembled, terrified, Akito walked off the stage, chuckling all the while.

He sat next to Hatori who had his head in his hands, once again questioning the value of the Hippocratic oath when one's patient is a sarcastic, sadistic psychopath.

"Do you want to leave?" Hatori asked after a few deep breaths. Akito shook his head, grinning wickedly as the children on stage slowly pulled themselves together and walked off.

"No," said after a few seconds, "this is finally entertaining."


	8. After the Performance

Once again to all those who reviewed, I thank you.

Skyerider: Yes Akito ruins everything. It's who he is; it's what he does. But I can't help loving him (I know. I've got a problem with sadist loving )

OrangeKyo: There's more, oh so much more. Never underestimate the power of utter boredom in English class…and Language Arts class, and History class, and Physics and…

After the show, the band stood outside the school, loading instruments. Suddenly, Kyo found himself on the ground, Kagura on top of him.

"You were wonderful, Kyo!" she squeeled, crushing his bones in a hug.

"Get OFF! The cat yelled as he struggled to get free. Once again, Haru was the one to separate the two.

"Kagura's right," Hatori said, "a resounding success, obnoxious audience aside."

"I'm sorry I didn't clap louder. You really deserve it." Everyone turned to see Ritsu walking over.

"Thanks, Ritsu," Tohru said, air-hugging him. As she pulled away, Aya immediately jumped out and began smoothing out Tohru's dress.

"Oh! I'm so sorry I wrinkled you dress! Please forgive me!" Ritsu yelped nervously. Shigure and Hatori rolled their eyes at the boy who was stil frantically bowing and apologizing to Tohru.

"Momiji," a male voice called. The rabbit turned and ran over to his father, "A wonderful performance, good job all of you." Momiji bounced up and down excitedly and accidentally bumped into Ritsu, causing both of them to fall down.

"Ah! Oh my God! I'm so sorry! Are you OK?" The rabbit laughed and pushed himself up.

"I'm fine, Ritsu," Momiji said, trying to calm the apologetic man in front of him. Suddenly, a soft, malice filled voice sounded behind them.

"Hello, Yuki," The group turned as one to see Akito walking toward them. The rat tensed instantly at the voice, trembling like a leaf in the wind. Akito set his basket down next to him once he reached the scared band members. Suddenly, Ritsu realized how close he was standing to the head of the family and immediately jumped away.

"I'M SO SORRY! I shouldn't have been so close. How are you doing? Oh my God! That was completely out of line to ask. I'm sorry! Please forgive me!" Ritsu continued to rant, growing more and more panicked as he continued to talk. Akito sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

"Shut up," he said flatly. Sadly, Ritsu was too engrossed in his frantic apology to hear and continued to talk. Angry at having is order ignored, Akito's teeth clenched and he lashed out, slapping Ritsu hard and sending the poor boy to the ground.

"Shut up," Akto repeated, staring down at Ritsu, his voice challenging the terrified young man to say another word. Ritsu stared up at Akito with tears shining in the corners of his eyes and nodded.

"Good," Akito said. Slowly, he eyed the band members around him, finally stopping to stare at Tohru.

"I'm so happy that Hatori told me about this little show," he said, mock happiness and gratitude dripping off of his words. Tohru's eyes widened as Akito reached forward to cup her chin in his hand.

"I-I-I'm glad you liked it," she stammered. Akito's smile grew and he let go, moving to pick up his fruit basket.

"Let's go, Hatori," he said, walking off. The doctor sighed quietly, helped Ritsu up, and followed his patient away.

Once Akito was gone, Tohur turned to Yuki. The rat stood still as a stature, eyes wide like a deer in the face of an eighteen-wheeler, pupils shaking as memories of past beatings flashed through his mind.

"Yuki," she said, concerned, "are you OK?" Yuki continued to stare at the past; oblivious to the girl's words. Slowly, Tohru reached out to touch him.

"Yuki?" Tohru said again. This time the rat blinked, suddenly coming back to the present where his friends were worriedly watching him,

"I'm fine, Miss Honda," he said. Tohru smiled just as Uo and Hana ran over.

"That was awesome!" Uo said. Hana looked around, and then faced the group.

The electrical signals here are wild. Did something happen? Are you still upset about the fight on stage?"

"Oh no we're fine." Yuki said, "Thank you for your concern."


	9. Party Time

Reviews make the fairies sing! Thanks everyone! Sorry this took so long and it's so short. I have been majorly busy.

As previously stated: I own nothing

973Violet: Thanks for catching those misspellings. If you see any more please let me know and I'll be on the lookout for my own bad typing as well.

Skyerider: I feel bad for them too, but if Akito was around you know it's what would happen. If you stick Akito and Ritsu in the same room alone, I think it would end in poor Ritsu's death. :'(

OrangeKyo: Yep, Akito is an ass, but I love him. *runs off, kidnaps Akito, ties him up in basement.* Don't worry there's lots more in store (Yay unintentional rhyme!)

Later that day, the band members stood in Shigure's house celebrating. Tohru had baked a two-layer cake with the words "Thanks everyone! We did it!" written in icing on the top. Everyone was happily moving from room to room, eating, talking, and in the case of Kyo and Haru, trying to kick the crap out of each other. Shigure had followed the fighting pair, hoping to push them out the door before they broke something. Hiro and Kisa sat on the porch, talking quietly as Momiji slowly convinced Hatori to play a game of Go Fish.

Just as a shout of "I win" rang through the house, Momiji putting his last pair of cards aside, Tohru came out with a knife for the cake.

"This is delicious, Tohru," Hatori said, " Although I have been eating to much cake this week."

"Really?" Shigure asked as the two moved to sit on the porch outside, "I didn't know you baked, Ha'ri."

"I don't," Hatori said.

"Then who made the cake?" Momiji?"

"No," Hatori answered, looking down at the half-eaten piece of cake on his plate.

"Akito did." Shigure nearly dropped his plate.

"What?" he asked shocked.

"That's what I thought. I found him in the kitchen frosting it. After he left, I tried some. Surprisingly, it was quite good." (A/N: this is based on my other Fruits Basket fic. If you haven't read it, it would make me oh so happy if you did).

"Wonder where he learned to do that…" Shigure muttered. Hatori shrugged and went back to his cake.

"I think it was some cooking show, Paula something." He said.

"Dean?" Shigure asked.

"Maybe. I don't know, that boy watches to much television." With that, a rather awkward silence fell over the two.

"Hey, Ha'ri, Shigure!" Momiji said, "Come inside! Tohru's handing out presents!" Shigure's eyes widened and he immediately jumped up.

"Our dear Tohru has gotten us presents. How wonderful!" Come on, Ha'ri!" He said. With a sigh, the doctor stood and followed his friend into the house.


	10. Gifts for All

Thanks for the reviews!

Indigo Kzat X: It's so cool you can do their voices! Chapters are coming, I promise.

OrangeKyo: The whole Akito cooking thing was something I made up for another fic. If you want to read it, it's called "A Day in Sohma House" I'm glad you like when Kyo fights. I find it rather comical as well.

Once again, I own nothing.

"Alright everyone sit down!" Uo yelled, "Tohru's been nice enough to get you maggots gifts so be grateful."

"Thank you, Uo," Tohru said, pulling a bag up onto the table beside her. She reached in and pulled out a CD with a picture of a hamster on it.

"This is for Momiji. Thanks for switching to keyboard on such short notice." The rabbit scampered up to Tohru and took the CD.

"Hamsterdance!" Momiji yelled excitedly, "Thank you so much, Tohru!"

"You're welcome." Tohru said, smiling. She reached into the bag again and pulled out a stuffed bear, complete with big blue bow and smile. Kisa ran up and wrapped her arms around Tohru.

"Thanks, Sissy." Kisa said and took her bear to her seat.

"And for Haru," Tohru said, handing the boy an ACDC CD.

"Thanks," he said as he put the disk into his bag. The next item out of the bag was a book of ACDC songs and their corresponding guitar chords. Hiro nodded in thanks as Tohru handed it to him and immediately began flipping through it and miming the chords.

"Next is for Hatori," Tohru said, pulling a small card out of the bag. She walked over and handed the bookstore gift card to the doctor.

"Thank you very much, Tohru." He said, placing the card in his jacket pocket.

"Oh me next, Tohru!" Shigure sang excitedly. Hatori rolled his eyes at the dog and sighed. For her part, Tohru just smiled and pulled out a Polaroid camera and some film.

"Thank you so much, my dear Tohru," the dog said and immediately began snapping pictures until Yuki forcefully yanked the camera away from him. Shigure whined lightly and after about a minute, Yuki relented and returned the dog's gift.

"Please continue, Miss Honda," Yuki said, sitting. Tohru nodded and reached into the bag again.

"This is for you, Uo," she said. Out of the bag came a pair of large headphones decorated with read butterflies on the ear pieces."

"Wow!" Uo exclaimed, "Thanks, Tohru, these are beautiful." Tohru smiled and pulled a black kite out of the bag.

"Here you go, Hana," she said, holding out the toy. Hana smiled.

"Thank you very much," she said, setting the kite beside her. The next gift out of the bag was a box set of Rocky movies. Tohru walked over and handed the DVDs to Kyo who immediately jumped up.

"Thanks, Tohru," he said, "These are my favorite!"

"I'm glad you like them," Tohru said, smiling. She turned to Ritsu, pulling out another DVD set.

"This is for you, Ritsu," she said happily, "I hope you like it." Ritsu stared at the box, the title of which was "RuPaul's Drag Race Season 4." The monkey's eyes widened and the room braced itself for the inevitable.

"Thank you so much, Tohru. I'm so sorry you had to go through so much trouble on my account! Please forgive me!" Tohru giggled.

"You're welcome, Ritsu." She said as Hatori finally got Ritsu to stop frantically apologizing.

"Who's next?" Kagura asked impatiently.

"Um…" Tohru said, pulling another gift out of the bag, "This is for you, Kagura." She handed the other girl an orange stuffed cat that looked disturbingly like Kyo.

"Oh My God! Thank You!" Kagura yelled, hugging the cat doll so tight if it had been Kyo, he would have turned blue.

"You'r welcome." Tohru said as she retrieved another gift from the bag.

"I know how much you like fashion, Ayame," she said, "So I got you this." From the depths of the bag came a DVD set of season one of Project Runway.

"My sincerest thanks, dear Tohru," the snake sang, taking the disks from the girl.

"And for Yuki," Tohru said, pulling the last present out of the bag, "I got this." She walked forward and handed the rat a tie. Yuki smiled and graciously accepted the gift.

"Thank you very much, Miss Honda," he said softly. The rest of the party went smoothly, except for two fights (Kyo vs Haru and Kyo vs Yuki) and soon everyone was ready to go. As Momiji and Hatori walked out to their car, Tohru ran up behind them.

"Are you going back to the main house?" she asked. Momiji's eyes widened at the question.

"Yes," Hatori said, "why?" Tohru looked down, blushing slightly. Beside her sat a large (about two feet tall) object covered by a cloth.

"I was hoping to give this to Akito, but he wasn't here so I was wondering if I could go to the main house with you to give it to him." Momiji and Hatori just stared at her for a few minutes before speaking.

"He was doing better this morning so I guess it will be OK." Hatori said, "But I'll go in with you." Tohru nodded as she climbed into the back seat with Momiji. As he drove toward the house, Hatori prayed that this meeting with the head of the Sohma family would go better for Tohru than the last time.


	11. Gift for a God

I own nothing. As always reviews are very much appreciated.

Once they arrived, Momiji said good-bye to Tohru and headed off to his room. Hatori picked up Tohru's present and led the girl toward Akito.

"Wait here," he said, setting the gift down, "I'll talk to him first." With that, Hatori walked into Akito's room, leaving Tohru alone in the hall. After about three minutes, Hatori opened the door, ushering Tohru inside. She followed the doctor across the sparsely furnished room to the wooden balcony.

Akito sat outside, leaning against the house. He wore the same coral robe he had worn the last time Tohru had come to the estate. Hatori kneeled beside Tohru, about five feet form the head of the family who still hadn't acknowledged the fact that Tohru was there. The anxious tension in the air steadily built as the minutes ticked by. Tohru could feel her stomach churning nervously. Wind blew through the trees, rustling the green leaves throughout the garden.

"Why have you come here?" Akito asked suddenly, his voice quiet, full of bored hatred and malice. Tohru's head jerked up; she had assumed that Hatori had told him the reason for her visit.

"Hatori told me you were here," Akito continued, somehow sensing the girl's thoughts, "He only said that you had come to see me. So as I said, why have you come here?"

"Umm…" Tohru said, fidgeting.

"Well?" Akito snapped, suddenly turning his head to face her. Hatori immediately tensed in case things got worse. Tohru gasped nervously, eyes landing on the cloth covered object beside her.

"I-I brought you a present," she said, eyes reverting back to stare at her knees. Akito grunted and went back to staring at the sky.

"What is it?" he asked, finally turning his body to face Tohru. The girl pulled the gift over and removed the cloth. As the fabric was dragged away, a birdcage came into view. Inside a small white dove hopped around, chirping softly. Hatori's eyes widened at the sighed and he quickly looked to Akito to gauge his reaction to the gift.

Akito just stared at the bird, analyzing its movements as it hopped. After about a minute, he looked back at Tohru.

"I have a bird," he said simply, scowling slightly. Hatori nearly face-palmed; he had expected an answer like that but still… As if on cue, a white bird flew over and landed on Akito's knee.

"I-um- I know that," Tohru said, a nervous blush spreading across her face, "but I thought you might like another." Akito made an indifferent, dismissive noise in the back of his throat. Slowly, he looked into Tohru's eyes and smirked at the fear he saw within.

"Your gift is worthless here." He said, "Now go." Tohru's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to protest, but Hatori beat her to it.

"Akito," he said, "Tohru put a lot of thought into this gift. Please accept it." The head Sohma glared at his doctor for a moment then looked back at Tohru.

"Why would you put so much thought into this?" he hissed.

"I want to know you, Akito," Tohru answered. Hatori gulped. This conversation had not gone well the last time and it was very likely it wouldn't go well again.

Akito looked from Tohru to the bird and back, then opened the cage door. The dove hopped over to the door, flew out, and circled the group. After a few seconds, it came back to rest on Akito's outstretched finger.

"I think she likes you," Tohru said smiling. Akito's dark eyes rolled over to her for a moment, then went back to rest on the dove.

"Mangy little thing," he grunted, stroking the bird's head gently, "I think I might just keep it though." Tohru smiled brightly at his words as Hatori inwardly sighed. That was probably as close to "thank you" as Akito would ever get. Suddenly, Akito glared at her.

"Why are you still here? You've delivered your gift. Now get out!" Hatori grunted softly, everything was back to normal. All gratitude had melted away like water in the desert, leaving only the bag of bitterness, hatred, and sickness that was Akito. Tohru gasped in surprise at the sudden change in the family head's mood. Quickly,

she stood along with Hatori, bowed, and left the room.

"I'll drive you back to Shigure's house." The doctor said as the walked down the hall toward the exit.

"Thank you." Tohru answered brightly.


	12. Normal Life

Once they arrived back at the dog's house, Kyo and Yuki nearly tackled Tohru as she walked in the door, bombarding her with questions.

"What happened? Are you O.K.? Did that bastard do anything to you? Did he hurt you? Answer me!" Kyo yelled.

"I-I'm fine," Tohru said, waving her hands frantically, "I just gave him the gift and left, nothing else. He was very civil." Yuki and Kyo stared wide-eyed at the news but finally decided to believe her.

"Oh," Tohru exclaimed, looking at the clock behind the boys, "I didn't realize it was so late. I'll go start dinner." As she moved toward the kitchen, Yuki grabbed her by the wrist.

"May I speak with you for a moment, Miss Honda?" he asked softly.

"Uh, sure, Yuki," Tohru answered, following the rat into the hall, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Miss Honda," he answered smiling sweetly, "I just wanted to thank you for all that you did to get the band off the ground and for the gifts. You really are quite amazing." Tohru could feel her cheeks turning redder and redder as Yuki spoke.

"You're-you're welcome," she said, embarrassed beyond belief. She slowly looked into Yuki's eyes as the boy's smile broadened and the world seemed to encompass only them. Suddenly, the illusion was shattered as Kyo bounded into the hall. Yuki frowned but left.

"Hi, Kyo," Tohru said, turning to the cat, "did you need something?" Kyo opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, then looked at the floor; cheeks tinted a slightly rosy color.

"No, I don't," he said awkwardly, "I just-argh-you did a real great job and well…" Kyo trailed off into nonsense and words to quiet for Tohru to hear.

"I'm sorry, Kyo," she said, "I didn't catch that last bit." Kyo looked up and tried again.

"thank you," he mumbled, just barely loud enough for Tohru to hear. The girl smiled brightly.

"You're welcome, Kyo," she said and before the rational part of her brain caught up with her body, she had hugged the cat and a cloud of orange spoke accompanied by a loud pop filled the hall.

"Oh my god! Kyo, I'm so sorry!" Tohru yelled, holding up a bright orange cat.

"I'm fine," Kyo grouched. Suddenly another clout of smoke appeared and a naked, human Kyo formed. Tohru covered her eyes as the boy pulled his clothes back on.

"Tohru!" sang a voice from down the hall. The teens turned to see Shigure peering around the corner, "I heard there was dinner on the way. Is that true?"

"Oh yes!" Tohru exclaimed, "I'll go start." With that, she made her way to the kitchen and began to prepare the evening meal; happy and content in her… interesting…life with the Sohmas.

OK people that's the tentative end of it. I say tentative because if you happy peppy people give me some good ideas I might continue. Or I could just leave it there if you want. Sequels are also a possibility. I don't know. All I do know is that its up to you guys so hop to it. As always reviews are welcome. In closing, thank you all so much for reading this you have no idea how validated I feel knowing I'm making people happy *tears of joy* See you all next time! Bye!


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